Roger Bales

Dr. Roger Bales, Distinguished Professor of Engineering at UC Merced, has been active in water- and climate-related research for over 35 years.

His degrees include a B.S. in Civil Engineering (Purdue), M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering (UC Berkeley), M.S. in Social Science/Economics (Caltech) and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering Science (Caltech). Dr. Bales’ scholarship includes over 140 papers in peer-reviewed journals, and many more presentations, reports and book chapters.

He is a fellow in the American Geophysical Union, the American Meteorological Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has published well-cited papers in multiple disciplines, including hydrology, glaciology, paleoclimate, atmospheric chemistry, geochemistry and environmental engineering.

He works with leaders in state agencies, elected officials, federal land managers, water leaders, non-governmental organizations, and decisionmakers on developing climate solutions for California. He has led several multi-investigator, multi-disciplinary research programs, at UC Merced since 2003, and prior to that at the University of Arizona, including:

• Sierra Nevada Research Institute
• Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory

He has been active in climate applications both regionally and nationally, including the University of California Office of the President Global Climate Leadership Council. He has led development of regional, national and international measurement programs that are critical for understanding climate change and contributing to climate solutions. He has also served on multiple advisory committees, is active in the region, and has a long record of service to the university. Dr. Bales is also an Adjunct Professor at UC Berkeley.